Daily Offerings from Alokda Archives

Q: Is it true that humans have not evolved physically in the last two hundred thousand years?

Q: Is it true that humans have not evolved physically since the missing link period which is two hundred thousand years ago?

ALOKDA: Our present human species has taken nearly nine sub-steps to emerge out of the first humanoid spanning over 2 million years. It looks long by our measure of time span especially when compared with one human life time. But when we see that it took nearly 6 million years to emerge for man to emerge from the Ape, a hundred million years for the reptiles to emerge from the amphibians, another nearly 60 million years for the dinosaur to shrink into a bird then we shall see the grand time scale through which Nature works. We are not even going into the time when Earth cooled enough for solid material forms to emerge and then the first life forms nearly 5 billion years back. So 2 hundred thousand years count for little when we look at the magnitude of Nature’s movements.

Now coming closer, humans have in fact never stopped evolving. It is through these micro-evolutions that the first African ancestor evolved into different varieties of humanity. We have grown taller and the brain has shrunk but it’s neuronal complexity has increased. The jaws receded and there are reports to suggest that the brain especially is continuing to evolve. At the chromosomal level, last hundred years has seen a shrinking of the Y chromosome and possibly a new sex-determinant gene in the offing. We have to also take into account the fact that human evolution brings new dimensions into play, unlike the animals. Psychologically and socially human evolution is uncontested. At present we also see the first signs of an imminent spiritual evolution. Most importantly human beings are the only species capable of conscious self-evolution at different levels.

What does all this indicate? That we have stopped evolving or we are preparing for a new leap? It is anybody’s guess. But leaving aside all this it is illogical to assume that the evolutionary process in Nature that has been working over billions of years will suddenly come to an abrupt halt, especially with such a half-finished creature called man! Any which way we look at it, evolution beyond human seems the most natural inevitable thing to happen. We may debate about the time, the process and the intent of Nature and God behind it but this much is obvious that we are destined to go further, – whether to a blank port in the Unknown or to acquire a new mind and body in the city of God is something that time will tell.

2024-11-21

Emotions, – a help or a hindrance

Emotions, like every other part of nature can be a help or a hindrance to the growth of consciousness.

If moved by the storms of lower passions and sullied by the poison of jealousy and hate, they sap away all our energies and keep us tied to the small and narrow fence of lower nature. The attendant result is suffering and pain or a momentary thrill, followed by exhaustion and indifference and a turning away from the object of love.

Nor does it help to suppress them by the mind since it maims rather than cures. Emotions are a tremendous source of energy, the powerful lever for human actions, often unrecognised but acting swiftly in our thoughts and actions.

What is therefore needed is their purification, and not suppression or a free indulgence. Only a greater and deeper feeling can release us from the lesser, which is a shadow and a limitation. Only Love can cure one of the lesser and distorted forms that love has taken in our human nature.

To try bringing out this deeper love from within, to love unselfishly, without expectation or preference and prejudice, to give oneself to the Divine and His creation in a sublime love that seeks nothing in return is the way to turn emotions into a powerful instrument for progress.

Thus purified, refined, uplifted, they not only become instruments for the growth of consciousness but also give us the key to the doors of delight that we knowingly or unknowingly seek.

2024-11-21

Songs of the Soul: November 21, 2024

Mother Divine, Mother of Might and Bliss, Maa a great churning seems to be going on all over the world under the pressure of the New Consciousness. This is throwing up things hidden for long, things dark and ugly as well as bright and beautiful. New ideas are being cast into the arena of human mind even as some old and dated beliefs that once sat on the powerful throne of outdated religions seem to be making a last ditch attempt to tightly grip the human consciousness and keep it in its stranglehold of rules and beliefs through terror and force. Yet behind all this one can see Thy Luminous Smile that saves, the Smile that once sanctioned the throne, now toppling them over while watching the votaries of the old fret and fume over the corpse of the dead world.
It is like the image of Krishna, the child of the New Creation, dancing over Kaliya, the poisonous serpent hidden in the subconscient.

Maa all this is so confusing to those who are not aware of the Grace that has come and the change that has begun. But those who are blessed with faith or the vision granted by Thy Grace, all this is not only a necessary passage, the steps of the human ascension to the summits of Thy Light and vastness hastening the manifestation of the New World. Such is the faith Thou hast put into our heart and the vision Thou grantest to all who keep their faith steadfast, ready to endure everything for the sake of Thy New Manifestation.

May all grow in this faith and vision.

Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa

2024-11-21

Songs of the Soul: November 20, 2024

Supreme Reality, Eternal Truth, Mother Divine, the action of Truth uncovers all the bright and dark passages of our being bringing to the surface beautiful possibilities as well as dark undercurrents running behind and beneath the appearances. Ordinarily the ego keeps them out of our awareness or colours them. All these elements have to be recognised for what they are, removing the dross and the gloss, purified of the baser and crude mixtures, offered to Thee, discarded what needs to be discarded and integrated with the New Life what is ready to change and transform itself. It is a long and complex work. Most often we are not even aware of what lies below the neat surfaces of life. Therefore it is so difficult to understand and appreciate the action of Truth. That is what we see happening in the world at large as well as groups and individuals. What will pass through the crucible and bear the exacting process and what will simply dissolve away, go out of creation, unable to bear the pressure, is something to be seen. But through all this Thy hand of Love is felt holding us, moulding and transforming us. If only we could open the doors to Thy Grace, not shut it off through doubts and blind resistances, if only we consciously and gladly surrender to Thee, to Thy Love, then all will be so much smoother and easier.

Maa may all open to Thy Love with faith and shedding all doubt and diffidence take the leap towards the future.

Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa

2024-11-20

Fundamentalism

It is often said that religion is the birthplace of fundamentalism.

This is true only if we limit our idea of religion to a set of fixed rituals and narrow dogmas, especially when we believe that our conception of God, our Scripture, our way of life is the only true way. It is this exclusivity that makes a fertile breeding ground for fundamentalism.

But this exclusivity is not the sole property of religions. A scientist vehemently denying God even without taking a serious quest, an ideologue believing his ideology to be the only one that can save mankind and the world, are equally prone to fundamentalism. It may not translate into violent actions that seek to eliminate the ‘non-believers’ but oppose them with loud voices trying to stifle what it does not believe in.

It is therefore not religion but narrowness and an intellectual shallowness, an inability to deeper into the very heart of things, an incapacity to search for higher and higher truths, an intolerance of all that has a different way of life and conception of Reality is the birthplace of fundamentalism.

But Religion, Science, Idealism all have a positive side in their search for a better state and condition of human living. If their different approaches can fuse in a common aspiration, then we may discover something of THAT Reality which exceeds both Science and Religion, is beyond ideas and idealism and yet is the secret Source of all.

2024-11-20

Can bioengineered products be bad for our health?

Q: Nowadays most farmers are cultivating rice, wheat and vegetables which are bioengineered. Is it bad for our health or not?

ALOKDA: Everything is corrupted and polluted today from the air we breathe to the food we eat and the people we meet. The mind in trying to correct one thing ends up disturbing another.

We can say therefore that all mental solutions are inadequate. Instead of worrying about the possible effects of different types of food we should focus on the discovery of the Divine within us and leave our health and life and destiny entirely in Her hands.

2024-11-20

Can I help a friend who has no spiritual turn?

Q: Can I help a friend who has no spiritual turn?

ALOKDA:

Dear S., it is difficult to help anyone unless the person is ready and himself wanting to come out of his condition. In fact, trying to help without the person’s active collaboration can sometimes give rise to resistances that delay future openings.

Still if you want to help your friend you can quietly pray for him goodwill in your heart. As a practical measure you can advise him to do physical exercises and play some soothing uplifting music in the background. It is also helpful to keep oneself busy.

Beyond it one cannot do much except trust the Divine and His ways and leave the rest to the unfolding of destiny.

2024-11-19

Sri Aurobindo’s Symbol

The Mother reveals to us the truth that Sri Aurobindo’s symbol represents as follows:

“The descending triangle represents Sat-Chit-Ananda. The ascending triangle represents the aspiring answer from matter under the form of life, light and love. The junction of both—the central square—is the perfect manifestation having at its centre the Avatar of the Supreme— the lotus. The water—inside the square—represents the multiplicity, the creation.”

It is not enough to know the meaning of this symbol intellectually. Like a mantra, like the yantra of tantric worshippers we can meditate upon this symbol and on the Truth that it represents.

It means to know Sri Aurobindo not only as the Master of Integral Yoga but also and more importantly as the Avatar who has descended into creation in response to the human aspiration for Light and Love and Life Divine. He brings with Him as a gift to creation the perfect consciousness and the Supramental creation of the Future.

It is the meeting of the two, – of the human aspiration for terrestrial Perfection and the Divine answer that leads to the ascension of our soul out of the state of Ignorance and mortality into a state of Freedom and Truth and Immortality. It is by His advent that the earth and humanity become ready to manifest the Supramental Perfection.

2024-11-19

Songs of the Soul: November 19, 2024

Mother Divine, to live in division is to be always in misery. It immediately diminishes us with the sense of I ness and My ness bringing with it all the pettiness and smallness to which the average consciousness is easily prone, rather it is the way of life and they cannot conceive of any other way. But to live in Thy Unity, not the unity of an idea or religion which again divide, but Thy Unity is to be released in Thy vastness and infinity, it is to be freed from all suffering and misery that springs from the state of division, it is to be cured of all ignorance and the pain that springs from it.

What a peace and marvel and joy it is to feel Thee everywhere and in everything. True the individual channel lends its own unique turn, a flavour that may or may not appeal to the mind and the senses. But that is a diminution and distortion due to the natural limitation of the human channel. Our vision glued to the surface distortion is unable to get past and hence we too get limited and love and act in a limited way.

Maa may we live in an uninterrupted state of oneness, seeing Thee everywhere and in everything even though dealing with different forms and forces according to their law. May we live constantly in Thy vastness and peace and bliss even while dealing with the smallest instrument and finite forms. May we be pure and perfect channels of Thy infinite Love wanting nothing, expecting nothing, hoping nothing except the joy of loving and serving Thee in countless ways and through countless forms.

Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa

2024-11-19